Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Call for Chapters: The Future Academic Librarian’s Toolkit: Finding Success on the Job Hunt and in Your First Job

Working title: The Future Academic Librarian’s Toolkit: Finding Success on the Job Hunt and in Your First Job
Publisher: ACRL Press
Editor: Megan Hodge

Chapter proposals are invited for The Future Academic Librarian’s Toolkit, a book collecting practical strategies on landing a first academic librarian position and building and enhancing one’s professional reputation.

Proposals are sought for two types of chapters:
  • Practical, prescriptive strategies for the following topics (final length: 6,000-10,000 words):
    • Making yourself marketable before and during the job search: obtaining relevant experience, publishing, and getting involved professionally as a student or other non-professional
    • Troubleshooting the job search: overcoming barriers such as geographic immobility; transitioning from paraprofessional, non-library, or non-academic work; and learning from rejections
    • Advocating for your ideas: wielding influence in positions without authority and gaining administrative buy-in for ideas
    • Networking and conferences: saving money on conference attendance, networking as an introvert, and talking to vendors
    • Getting started in scholarship: identifying gaps in the literature and motivational strategies for overcoming writer’s block, finding CFPs, and turning presentations into publications
  • Overviews of positions in the following areas, including necessary skills/credentials and day-in-the-life scenarios (final length: 1000-2000 words each):
    • Scholarly communications
    • Special collections/archives
    • Preservation
    • Research data management
    • Resource delivery/interlibrary loan

Submission Procedure
Proposals should be submitted as a single email attachment to futureacademiclib@gmail.com. No previously published or simultaneously submitted material, please.
Proposals should include:
  • Author name(s), institutional affiliation(s), job title(s)
  • Author(s)’ previous writing and publishing history
  • Writing sample (optional)
  • Outline of proposed chapter
Important dates:
Proposals due: April 15, 2017
Authors notified and sent chapter guidelines: May 30, 2017
Full chapters due: August 30, 2017
Final revised chapters due: December 30, 2017

For additional information, contact the editor:
Megan Hodge, Teaching & Learning Librarian, Virginia Commonwealth University, mlhodge@gmail.com